Ian,

In my opinion ball pythons should be fed much more and more foten than most other types of snakes. If there is one constant thing about ball pythons is that they will eventually go off of food. Therefore I suggest that we feed our ball pythons much more often than most people feed them. I almost always offer my adult females another rat after they eat the first one. Keeping your ball pythons a little on the h4eavy side will only buy you insurance when they do go off of food.

As far as whether you should breed your females due to their lack of weight, that is a decision only you can make. If for some reason you think they are too lean then you will only be doing the right thing for your snake to wait until the next season to breed her.

Feel free to call me anytime if you need help with other issues. My cell is 408.981.6694

Good luck with your breeding season.

Brian Gundy / For Goodness Snakes